Castor



Dec. 30, 1958 w. A. LORD ,222

CASTOR Filed June 7, 1955 I! INVENTOR.

l2 WHLL/ICE a. 1.0m; 1 I F163 BY wMwanJcA/wedu,%vw77u m4 g T TORNEYS CASTOR Wallace A. Lord, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application June 7, 1955, Serial No. 513,829

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-45) This invention relates to mobile apparatus for supporting an article as on a floor, and more specifically relates to castors for supporting such an article.

It has long been a problem in connection with articles or machinery such as washing machines and the like which are mounted on wheels to facilitate easy motion thereof, to restrict the undesired movement of such articles when they are supported on an inclined surface or floor. Particularly in the case of washing machines, they are generally utilized in the basement of a house where the floor is inclined toward the floor drain. The vibration of the machine tends to cause the machine to continuously roll on its wheels downwardly on the inclined floor. Apparatus has been konwn in the past which was for the purpose of restricting such movement of such machines, but has not proved highly successful because the cost of such apparatus must be kept at a minimum and because such apparatus rapidly goes out of order.

An object of my invention is the provision of a new and improved castor of simple and inexpensive construction and operation for supporting an article such as a washing machine on a floor and restricting undesired movement of the article along the floor.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a novel castor for supporting an article on a floor which permits the article to be readily and easily moved and which also will hold the article in a fixed position when the movement thereof has ceased without requiring the operation of any releasing or locking mechanism.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a mobile support for an article which will restrict both travel and turning of such an article on the floor when it is desired to hold the article in a stationary position, and which also permits the article to be turned or pushed in a single direction when such movement is desired.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention Will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation View, partly broken away, of the invention shown attached to a leg of an article;

Fig. 2 is a detail section view taken on a substantially horizontal plane as indicated at 22 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an article including my invention.

As best shown in Fig. 3, an article or machine 10 such as a washing machine is provided with suitable frame means to which the depending legs 11 are secured. Each of the legs 11 has a castor, indicated in general by numeral 12 thereon. The castor 12 is shown in detail in Figs. 1 and 2 and is shown attached to one of the legs 11.

The castor 12 includes a frame or support member 13 which has a pair of depending support arms 14 and 15 respectively. An upstanding spindle or shaft 16 is affixed to the upper portion of frame 13 as by welding. Shaft nited States Patent 16 has a pair of outstanding lugs or abutments 17 and 18 respectively formed therein.

Means are provided for attaching the frame member 13 and spindle 16 to the machine leg 11, and in the form shown, the leg 11 has an inturned lip 11a formed at the lower end thereof.

A circular support element 19 having down-turned marginal edge portions has the central portion 24) thereof stamped upwardly to provide opposed slot openings 21 in the support element 19. The support element 19 receives and is retained against the inwardly turned flange 11a of leg 11. A retaining element indicated in general by numeral 22 is constructed of spring metal material and is shaped substantially as an inverted U and has a pair of depending arms 23 and 24 which engage and are continuously urged against the inner side of the hollow leg 11 and which are provided at their lower ends with a pair of in-turned hooks 25 and 26 respectively which extend inwardly through the slot openings 21 in the support element 19. The inner surface 22a at the upper portion of the retaining element 22 provides a bearing with the upper end portion 16a of the shaft 16 which, when weight is carried by leg 11, will shift into engagement with the surface portion 2211.

A pair of spaced grooves are formed adjacent the upper portions of the depending arms 23 and 24 and receive therein a guide disc 29 which is thereby restricted from vertical movement. Disc 2% has an enlarged central opening to permit the upper end portion of shaft or spindle 16 to slidably pass therethrough. A compression spring 30 is interposed between the disc 29 and the abutments 18 on shaft 16. A washer 31 provides an abutment connection between the spring 35 and the lug 18.

The central portion 20 of support element 19 is provided with a central aperture to slidably receive the spindle 16 therethrough.

A castor wheel or roller 32 is journalled on the depending arms 14 and 15 of the frame 13 and is supported therefrom by a bolt or axle 33 retained by nut 34. The outer peripheral surface 35 of castor wheel 32 is provided with a plurality of flattened surface portions 36 which are spaced apart from each other with rounded surface portions 37 interposed therebetween. The castor wheel 35 may be constructed of any suitable material and may be constructed of a firm and resilient material such as hard rubber.

In the operation of the present invention, the weight of the machine or article 10 is carried on the castors 12. When the castor wheel 32 engages the floor surface F, the frame 13 and spindle 16 will shift slightly upwardly with respect to leg 11 and support element 19, causing the upper end portion 16a of spindle 16 to engage the inner surface 22a of retaining element 22. Substantially all of the weight is thereby carried through the end of spindle 16 and the upper portion of retainer 22.

The article may be readily and easily pushed across the floor surface F by manual or other means and the castor wheels or rollers 32 will roll over the floor surface.

When the positive pushing force, tending to move the machine 10 is removed, the castor wheels 32 will come to rest on one of their respective flattened peripheral surface portions 36. The machine or article 10 will thereby be restricted from further movement along the floor unless a positive and substantial force is applied to the machine to again get it under way. Where the machine 10 is of the nature of a washing machine having an enclosed source of power, the vibration or jiggling of the machine when resting on an inclined floor will not be suflicient to cause the machine to travel across the floor and down the incline.

When the machine is again to be pushed across the floor, a substantially greater force is necessary to start the machine in motion because the castor wheels 32 are resting on their flattened surface portions 36, than is necessary to maintain themachine in motion after it'has been started. The rounded surface portions 37 permit the castor wheel 32 to be rolled over the floor surface without extreme exertion by the person pushing the machine.

It will be noted that in the present form of the inven tion the castor wheel has a substantially octagonal shape with the angle corners of the eight surfaces rounded off. It should be understood that the castor wheel 32 may be provided with more or less flattened surface portions than is shown in the drawings and in addition, the flattened surface portions may be spaced from each other at varying distances. Where the size of the rounded surface portions 37 is increased relative to the size of the flattened surface portions, the castor wheel 32 will be adapted to be more easily pushed or rolled across a fioor.

The castor wheels 12 applied to the machine 10 also restrict turning of the machine 10 as it stands on an inclined floor. In order for the machine to be turned, several of the castor wheels 32 must revolve and the flattened surface portions 36 thereof restrict revolution when they are seated on the floor surface.

It will be noted that I have provided for an article to be supported on a floor, a castor which permits the article to be moved across the floor when desired, but

-when the positive pushing forces are removed from the article, the castor will retain the article in a stationary position.

It should also be noted that I have provided a novel castor which, when used with other castors of a similar type in supporting an article on a floor, restricts the 4 article from turning without the application of a positive or turning force on the article.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, detail, arrangement and proportion of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter described herein and set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A castor for supporting an article on a floor, comprising a frame, means for swivelly attaching said frame to the article for movement about a vertical axis, and a castor wheel journalled in a fixed position on said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis and for rolling on the floor, said castor wheel having an outer peripheral surface symmetrically formed about said axis and having a plurality of regularly spaced flattened surface portions spaced therearound and extending across the entire width thereof, whereby when said castor is mounted on such ,an article the article may be moved along the floor with rolling of said wheel and will thereafter be retained in a stationary position when one of said flattened surface portions engages the floor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 71,018 Kane Nov. 19, 1867 134,727 Bradford Jan. 14, 1873 143,387 Smith Sept. 30, 1873 295,689 Thomas Mar. 25, 1884 418,928 Ridge Jan. 7, 1890 509,305 Foreman et a1 Nov. 21, 1893 1,427,813 Holt Sept. 5, 1922 2,403,812 MacCallum July 9, 1946 2,560,036 Diehl July 10, 1951 

